'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM' : a new project

[Doctor Fab]

Hello All,

a week ago I received a kind request from our Iranian friend Negar regarding the protests that are growing in her country after the death of Mahsa Amini (see Negar's note).
After some consideration, even with the feedback from some friends, we've decided to start a new project, entitled  'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM' .

We'll use the googlegroup 26. Poetry from Iran to collect poems and also short stories for this anthology (see below).

Here is Negar's note:

_______________

Dear fellow poets,

On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini (#MahsaAmini) was arrested and then beaten to death by Iranian "morality police of Islamic Republic" for not wearing the hijab in accordance with the islamic standards set by the government.
Amini's death resulted in a series of large-scale protests in Tehran and across the country, and even garnered a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees focusing on violence against women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The government's response to the protest has been brutal: the internet was shut down and the police has opened fire on the demonstrators. Yet the number of people protesting has grown and more and more public figures are supporting us, in Iran and from abroad.

Indeed we can't accept to be silenced because we are #MahsaAminis’ voice.

This is not just a feminist protest, but rather it is a protest for protecting the human rights of everyone: women and men, girls and boys, religious and non-religious people.

This is why I'm reaching out to you: to invite you to write poems and/or short stories about and for the Iranian people, so as to make our message stronger.

Poems and short stories will be collected and published by Fabrizio Frosini & Poets Unite Worldwide: an Anthology for #MahsaAmini, Iran and Iranian people with the title "Women, Life, Freedom" -- it is the slogan of our movement, the Iranian women's movement against compulsory hijab.

Please, help us to make the whole world hear our voice!

Thank you very much for your help

Kind regards,
Negar

_______________

The poets/writers who want to take part in this anthology can ask to be registered.

After registration, you can submit your entries through the GROUP EMAIL: 26-poetry...@googlegroups.com

Submissions:
-- UP to 3 (three) POEMS (of any length)
and/or
-- 1 (one) SHORT STORY

DEADLINE :   NOVEMBER 30

Cheers

F.

______

P.S.:

The deadline of the other publishing project ["Fire, Water, Hunger, War: A Collapsing World"] is December 15.

Participants in this anthology must send their poems to the group 12. Poetry for Our Planet  -- if registered, the poets can submit their contribution directly to the Group EMAIL : 12-poetry-fo...@googlegroups.com

[if you are not yet registered (only the registered poets can submit their poetry) just let me know: I'll register you]

[Doctor Fab]

'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM', an update

The Iranian authorities have released a report alleging that Mahsa Amini died from an "underlying illness", refuting evidence that she died from police brutality.
They similarly claimed that Sarina Esmail Zadeh and Nika Shakarami —two teenage protestors brutally killed by security forces— "committed suicide".

About Nika Shakaram, this is from the BBC : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63128510

On Thu, Oct 6, 2022 at 6:11 PM Doctor Fab wrote:

Hello All,

a week ago I received a kind request from our Iranian friend Negar regarding the protests that are growing in her country after the death of Mahsa Amini (see Negar's note).
After some consideration, even with the feedback from some friends, we've decided to start a new project, entitled  'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM' .

We'll use the googlegroup 26. Poetry from Iran to collect poems and also short stories for this anthology (see below).

Here is Negar's note:

_______________

Dear fellow poets,

On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini (#MahsaAmini) was arrested and then beaten to death by Iranian "morality police of Islamic Republic" for not wearing the hijab in accordance with the islamic standards set by the government.
Amini's death resulted in a series of large-scale protests in Tehran and across the country, and even garnered a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees focusing on violence against women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The government's response to the protest has been brutal: the internet was shut down and the police has opened fire on the demonstrators. Yet the number of people protesting has grown and more and more public figures are supporting us, in Iran and from abroad.

Indeed we can't accept to be silenced because we are #MahsaAminis’ voice.

This is not just a feminist protest, but rather it is a protest for protecting the human rights of everyone: women and men, girls and boys, religious and non-religious people.

This is why I'm reaching out to you: to invite you to write poems and/or short stories about and for the Iranian people, so as to make our message stronger.

Poems and short stories will be collected and published by Fabrizio Frosini & Poets Unite Worldwide: an Anthology for #MahsaAmini, Iran and Iranian people with the title "Women, Life, Freedom" -- it is the slogan of our movement, the Iranian women's movement against compulsory hijab.

Please, help us to make the whole world hear our voice!

Thank you very much for your help

Kind regards,
Negar

_______________

The poets/writers who want to take part in this anthology can ask for registration.

After registration, you can submit your entries through the GROUP EMAIL: 26-poetry...@googlegroups.com

Submissions:
-- UP to 3 (three) POEMS (of any length)
and/or
-- 1 (one) SHORT STORY

DEADLINE :   NOVEMBER 30

Cheers

F.

______

P.S.:

The deadline of the other publishing project ["Fire, Water, Hunger, War: A Collapsing World"] is December 15.

Participants in this anthology must send their poems to the group 12. Poetry for Our Planet  -- the registered poets can submit their contribution directly to the Group EMAIL : 12-poetry-fo...@googlegroups.com

[Doctor Fab]

Hello everyone,

This is to inform you that the deadline for submitting entries for the anthology 'WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM' (on the protests in Iran) has been extended to the end of the year (DECEMBER 31st).

Submissions:

•  Up to 3 (three) POEMS (of any length)

and/or

• 1 (one) SHORT STORY

________________
An update on Iran:

 — As reported by the "Critical Threats Project" (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute, on November 26, the "Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publicly rejected the possibility of compromise or reform to placate the ongoing protests. Khamenei reiterated his hard line on the protests and his accusation that foreign actors incited the unrest. He ended his speech with a Quranic verse that social media users interpreted as further affirmation that he will not make concessions. Khamenei made these remarks in a meeting with Basij members and lauded their role in protest suppression."

 — The NGO 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' (HRAI) estimated on November 25 that the regime has arrested over 18,000 protesters thus far – among them are children and teenagers. More than 400 people have been killed.
 — CNN published a report on November 21 detailing the horrific acts of sexual assault and violence the regime is committing against arrested protesters: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2022/11/middleeast/iran-protests-sexual-assault/index.html/

 — However, the brutality and horrible abuses do fuel anger and resentment towards the regime, and alienate large swaths of the population. All of this is entrenching anti-regime sentiment throughout Iran.

Best
F.

Please read the appeal from Iran (below). Thanks.

-----
P.S.:
The deadline for sending poems for the other anthology, 'Fire, Water, Hunger, War: A Collapsing World', has also been extended: the new deadline is January 31st.
["Climate pledges are falling short, and a chaotic future looks more like reality" (NYT)]

_________________

Dear fellow poets,

On 16 September 2022, the 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini (#MahsaAmini) was arrested and then beaten to death by Iranian "morality police of Islamic Republic" for not wearing the hijab in accordance with the islamic standards set by the government.
Amini's death resulted in a series of large-scale protests in Tehran and across the country, and even garnered a statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees focusing on violence against women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The government's response to the protest has been brutal: the internet was shut down and the police has opened fire on the demonstrators. Yet the number of people protesting has grown and more and more public figures are supporting us, in Iran and from abroad.
Indeed we can't accept to be silenced because we are #MahsaAminis’ voice.

This is not just a feminist protest, but rather it is a protest for protecting the human rights of everyone: women and men, girls and boys, religious and non-religious people.
This is why I'm reaching out to you: to invite you to write poems and/or short stories about and for the Iranian people, so as to make our message stronger.

Poems and short stories will be collected and published by Fabrizio Frosini & Poets Unite Worldwide: an Anthology for #MahsaAmini, Iran and Iranian people with the title "Women, Life, Freedom" — it is the slogan of our movement, the Iranian women's movement against compulsory hijab.

Please, help us to make the whole world hear our voice!
Thank you very much for your help

Kind regards,
Negar

_________________